bittersweet memories
by Pikapixie The Demigod
Summary: percy remembers his fight with Kronos, the one that took annabeth from him


**Disclaimer: I do not own pjo. That's Rick Riordan's job. I'm just here to spice it up a bit.** _words_**= a flashback. decided to rewrite this story cause it sucked and was too short.**

I couldn't believe it. It couldn't possibly be true. Yet it was.

As much as I didn't want it to be true, it was. People, fellow demigods, were casting worried glances my way, whispering to one another. I didn't care. I watched as they lowered the casket into the ground.

Annabeth. My strong, smart, beautiful wise girl. Gone. Just like that. I remembered all the good times we'd had, before this big, stupid war had torn us apart.

_"Hey, Annabeth." She looked up at me. _

_"Oh, hi, Percy." I walked over and sat down next to her. She was sitting on the sand, looking out at the water. The sun was starting to set, sending pale yellow orange rays to shimmer over the water. "Wanna take a dive?" I grinned mischievously. "What? Oh, Percy, don't you dare-" I flicked my hand, making the water rush up across the sand and pull us in. Did I mention I can control water? Being the son of Poseidon, I stayed perfectly dry, unlike Annabeth, whose head popped out of the water, her coughing and spluttering. "Ooh, seaweed brain, when I get you, you are in so much trouble!"_

_I laughed and dove under water- I can breathe under water- and she followed me. I made an air bubble so Annabeth could breathe. She swam in, punching and jabbing with her fists. I grabbed one and spun her around, pulling her tight against my chest. She stopped trying to kill me and leaned her head back, relaxing against my body. " I love you, seaweed brain." I smiled. "I love you too, wise girl."_

Now, as the priest (Chiron) started talking about all of Annabeth's achievements, I stood there, wishing she was here, with me. I wished I'd done something sooner; I could have stopped him killing her. Something, anything, but I hadn't. It was all my fault she'd been killed. If I had just stopped fighting, like kronos had wanted, this would never have happened.

I still remembered every detail.

I wished I didn't.

I could recall perfectly the look on her face when Kronos had grabbed her.

I wished I couldn't.

people were stepping up to the podium, Doing long, heartfelt speeches about Annabeth, Her life, her victories, and in the Stoll's case, how incredibly Kick-but she was when angered. That got a few laughs. I wasn't really listening.

_"Hey, percy?" I looked over. we were hanging out in my cabin, her reading some architecture book on the bed, me kind of spacing out and messing with riptide, capping and uncapping it, twirling the hilt in my fingers, leaning against the wall. "Yeah? what is it?"_

_"If.. well, you know how unlikely it is for a demigod to live all the way to adulthood. so.. If I ever do, you know, not come back from a battle or something, can you-"_

_"Woah, woah! Annabeth, what are you saying? you're the best fighter here! you'll ALWAYS come back. if anything, I should be worrying about that. prophecy child, kronos hates me, lotta other gods and monsters hate me, blah, blah, blah."_

_"Yeah, but-"_

_"No buts, Annabeth."_

_"Percy! listen for a second! I was just gonna say that if I ever don't come back, can you make sure that.. that nobody forgets me?"_

_"Annabeth... I might be a seaweed brain, but I know enough to be able to honestly tell you that you are __**extremely**__ unforgettable. but it dosent matter anyways. when we fight, we fight together, right?"_

_"Right..."_

_"So, if you're ever in a bad spot like that, I would be there in seconds. you'll never be in real danger, long as I'm alive. you and me, we're in this till the end, promise."_

_"Thanks, Percy."_

_"Percy.."_

_"Percy.."_

"Percy? Percy? are you okay?" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked around. people were staring. "Uhhh..." Chiron smiled gently. "I asked you if you wanted to say a few words."

"Oh..."

_"I was just gonna say that if I ever don't come back, can you make sure that.. that nobody forgets me?"_

"Yeah. yeah, I will." I stepped up to the podium. "Er..." everybody was staring at me. I took a deep breath. "Annabeth.. well, nothing I say can really explain her. she was.. well.. Annabeth." That got a few snickers and knowing nods. "But I _do _Know that she was a hard-core kind of person, and she'd judo flip you before telling you what time sword training started." full on laughter and loud voices ensued as everyone started telling stories at once.

"But!"

everyone quieted back down and looked back at me. "But.. she was also kind, once you got to know her, And she protected her friends to the last. she was almost as hard headed as me, stubborn, sarcastic, and mean as heck. but she was a great fighter, and a good person where it counted.

"She once told me.. She asked me, that if she was to not make it, if she were to.. to _die,_ to make sure that nobody ever forgot her. I didn't think anything of it at the time, I mean, Annabeth, Gone? no way! But now I'm going to ask you: can we, as a camp, make sure that every demigod we train knows her name, and what she did?"

"YEAH!"

"Can we keep her legend alive? Tell everybody of her bravery, and remember her and her sacrifice?"

_"YEAH!"_

"So lets do that, then! lets keep her here, alive in spirit!"

"YEAH! YEAH!"

they cheered as I stepped down._ "thank you.." _I felt a breeze by my ear. I whipped around. nothing and nobody. while everybody chattered excitedly, I stared at the now filled hole.

_"Give up, Perseus Jackson, you cannot win." Kronos stood before me, flanked by two other demigods. Luke's normally electric blue eyes now an intense gold. "Sorry, I can't do that. I've got to many people counting on me." I replied. Kronos smirked. "like who? All those people fighting outside? All those people dying while you're up here fighting me?" _

_I flinched. I didn't want my friends to die. Kronos smiled coldly, seeing that he'd touched a nerve. " come now, you must have known that all those people were to die? They cannot possibly defeat all my monsters and demigods." my hands shook. riptide rattled a little bit. Clarisse, thalia, Nico, the stolls, Annabeth. I brought them all into this. Now.. Now I had to get them out. I raised riptide and looked Kronos in the eye. He was right, my friends were fighting, and some were dying. But that's why I was up here, to end the war, to defeat Kronos once and for all. That was why I couldn't stop fighting. Sensing I was ready to fight, Annabeth tensed at my right, ready to help._

I should have stopped. If I had listened, If I'd just stopped fighting, Annabeth would be alive right now.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, grover had come up behind me. "you okay, man? It's not your fault, you know that, right?" he was wrong. It was my fault. But I saw the worry in his brown eyes, so I just forced a smile, although the smile never quite reached my eyes. "yeah, I know. I think I'm gonna head back to my cabin." The funeral was over, everyone was already gone. I trudged back to my cabin.

_Kronos raised an eyebrow. "you still wish to fight? Very well then, Jackson, let's see how long you last." I lunged, but he slid to the side, blocking with backbiter. I swung again, and our swords locked. I met Kronos's eyes. He smiled, and not in a happy lets-be-friends way, more like a I'm-going-to-kill-you-and-laugh-over-your-bones kind of way. He pushed me back, And I stumbled, but I managed to regain my footing. I spun just in time to whack away his next shot._

_"Die, Percy Jackson!" Kronos roared. I brought up riptide just in time to block. sparks flew. clang, clang. "uhn!" I grunted. I swung, and got in a lucky shot, slicing across his chest. The wound was deep, and started to bleed profusely. He growled and arced his sword towards me. I jerked to the side and it nicked my left cheek, but it was a shallow cut. I ducked under his next shot and rolled, stabbing down into his foot. _

_Anybody but Kronos, anybody but Luke would have fallen, but he just staggered back, cursing in ancient greek. He came at me again, swiping down. I jumped over the blade and almost tripped and fell, but I managed to twist and catch kronoas behind the knee of his good leg. He stumbled, but quickly regained his footing. what was wrong with this guy? could he not fall down or something?_

_ "What is this?" he snarled. "How can I be bested by a child?!" desperately, he swung backbiter at me, catching me across the face, but I twisted and slammed the butt of my sword into Kronos's nose. He reeled, holding his face, and looked around franticly for someone to help him. Unfortunately ( for him, anyways,) his only two demigod soldiers were a bit preoccupied with Annabeth. Seeing her, he smiled. I turned to look. Annabeth had disarmed them and promptly knocked them both out. _

_So why was he smiling? Confused, I turned back to look only to see him charging across the room at me, swinging backbiter. Unprepared, I couldn't block, and he swung backbiter, ripping a deep cut into my stomach. I staggered back and fell, trying not to yell. I heard Annabeth cry out, and turned to see her running towards me. I suddenly realized why Kronos had been smiling. "No! Annabeth, stay back! Don't-" Kronos had come up behind me, grabbing my shoulder, and flung me across the room. he sliced at a nearby column, causing a section of the roof to cave in and smash apart on the floor. I coughed, squinting. there was dust everywhere. Where was Annabeth? I stood up, stumbling and breathing heavily, fanning the air in front of my face, trying to clear the dust. I heard Annabeth cry out, heard Kronos laugh. "Annabeth!" I cried, searching franticly for her and Kronos._

_The dust was starting to clear. What I saw when it did made my blood run cold. Kronos was holding Annabeth, with one arm wrapped tightly around her stomach, Pinning her arms down. his scythe, which must have morphed from his sword, rested lightly on her throat._

I opened the door to the Poseidon cabin and walked in, letting the door slam behind me. I sat heavily on the bed, my face in my hands, remembering.

_I froze. "Kronos, let her go." He laughed, as if this whole scene was hilarious. "and why would I do that, Jackson?" his eyes were wild, his smile feral, like a cornered animal's. "she's obviously very important to you." she writhed, trying to get away, but Kronos just pressed his sword down harder on her neck. I flinched when I saw drops of crimson blood escape and run down her throat, the red contrasting greatly with her pale neck. Kronos, seeing this, smiled that cold smile of his. "oh, yes, very important." My voice was hoarse. "please, let her go," I pleaded, my voice barely above a whisper, "This is between us. Don't hurt her." _

_" I'm afraid I can't do that, demigod….. unless, of course, you wish to surrender." He crowed. "Percy, no! don't listen to him! He'll-" so fast I almost didn't see it, he flashed his scythe down, making a deep cut in her arm. She gasped in pain. "Annabeth!" I took a step forwards, fully intending to kick this guy's evil butt to the underworld and back, but he quickly put the scythe back to her throat. I stopped, not wanting him to hurt her any more than he already had. "Kronos, let her go! This is between you and me! Leave Annabeth out of this!" I shouted. He only smiled. I was really starting to hate that smile._

_ "we can do this all day, hero. Let's see how long she can last." I looked around the throne room, looking for an out. I didn't want him to keep hurting her, but I couldn't just give up. There. Behind Kronos. Hephaestus's throne. Didn't Annabeth say something about defenses? I threw riptide straight at Kronos, hoping to Poseidon I was right. _

_Despite his wounds, he was still fast. __He jerked to the right, still holding Annabeth. riptide imbedded itself in Hephaestus's chair._

_"Oh, percy, do be careful. You could have hit dear Annabeth." He tightened his hold on Annabeth, her cursing and kicking. and boasted, "Not that you would have hit me anyway." Come on, come on, I prayed. Please work, please! Hephaestus, help me! " Besides, what made you think you could have-" _

_*SELF DEFENCE MODE ACTIVATED.* a monotone voice droned from the throne._

_ "what the-" I cut him off. "yeah," I replied sarcastically, " I wasn't aiming for you." little holes opened up around the edges and bottom of the throne. I grabbed one of the fallen demigods shield and ducked down, dropping to my knees in order to protect my entire body. just in time. _

_Dozens of small, sharp darts spewed out of the holes, shooting in every direction. Since Kronos's back was facing the death-chair, and he was holding Annabeth to his chest, she was mostly protected from the deadly spikes. About sixty of the things lodged into my shield. I peeked around it just in time to see Annabeth break free from kronos, diving to the ground to avoid the sharp projectiles. The flow of darts finally slowed, and I was able to drop the shield and straighten up. Yeesh, what did Hephaestus want to do, destroy Olympus? there were ruined pieces of who knows what and debris all over the place. maybe I actually ended up doing Kronos a favor.. Kronos!_

_ I looked over to said evil idiot. He was lying face down on the floor, spikes protruding from his back and legs, bleeding from the ruthless assault of mini arrows. He looked out for the count, so I turned my attention to Annabeth. _

_She was just starting to sit up, pulling a spike out of her left forearm. Aside from that and the cut from Kronos's scythe, she was fine. I hurried over and helped her to stand. She tried to smile at me- the one she managed was strained and not in any way convincing- and asked if I was okay. I looked down at the cut in my stomach. It was deep, but I'd dealt with a lot worse than that. "yeah, I'm cool. You? did Kronos hurt you?" I asked, looking for any other injuries besides the scythe wound. "No. his grip was pretty tight, And he didn't smell too good, but I'll be fine as soon as I get some nectar or-" her eyes widened in terror. "Percy, get DOWN!" she shrieked, and pushed me away. I stumbled and fell._

_BAM. Annabeth dropped. I swiveled around, struggling to get to my feet. Kronos, bleeding and injured, struggling to stand, was hold a pistol, muzzle smoking._

I sighed. It was going to be a lot harder without Annabeth. Who was going to make me clean my cabin before inspection? Watch my back when I was being too much of a seaweed brain to see an enemy coming up behind me? Pick me up and lecture me after one of the rare times she doesn't get there in time?

I laid back on the bed, looking over at the shelf that held the horn from the minotaur I'd killed. It now held memories as well as the souvenir. Pictures, really. Us at the beach, us goofing off together in camp, even us fighting monsters (I wonder who took those?) well, no more fighting or goofing off for her. Never. Never again. I cried, too softly for anyone to hear.

_A gun? What kind of Greek fighter carries a gun?! _

_He wasn't fighting fair, not that I'd expected him to, but this? I looked around for something to fight with. Riptide was still lodged in the chair a few feet away, but I wouldn't get three steps before he shot me. I looked down. At my feet was Annabeth's fallen knife. _

_BAM! I ducked to avoid the shot, grabbing the knife. I didn't even aim, I was acting on instinct. I threw the blade with all my strength- more than all my strength. Threw the blade- into Kronos's chest. I had hit him point blank in the center of his chest, straight through the heart. He froze. Then he fell. This time I checked to make sure he was dead. I felt his wrist. weak pulse. DANG it. when would he die? he looked at me. _

_His eyes. they were blue, I realized._

_ "...Thanks.."_

_He looked at me quietly. "Luke? is that you?" _

_His voice was raspy, and there was a small trail of blood trickling from the corner if his mouth, making his lips glow like fire against his now pale skin. "Yeah.. Its me. Hey.." He coughed, and his lips glinted._

_"I'm so sorry for all of this, Perce. I didn't.. Didn't mean to hurt Annabeth. never meant to...to.." His head lolled. His glazed over blue eyes stared at nothing. _

_"It's.. It's Okay." I ran a hand down his face, closing his eyes. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. It was over. Finally, this whole pointless war was over. I heard a moan from behind me. Annabeth. I turned and ran back to Annabeth, dropping to my knees. Oh, gods, no. a dark red stain was spreading slowly across Annabeth's chest. She coughed. "Percy…" she sounded so weak._

_ "its okay," I said in a rush, "It's not so bad. We'll get you some ambrosia and-and-" "percy," she started, "You are a terrible liar. I love you." she sounded broken, shattered, like a piece of dropped china. "I love you to, wise girl," I started gently, "But don't talk like that. You'll be fine, you'll be okay-" she cut me off. "percy. No. I won't. I won't be okay." I was horrified. How could she talk like that? "No-"_

_ "yes." _

_"b-but-" _

_"Shut up, seaweed brain." I was crying now, tears were streaming down my face. " I he…" she faltered. "yeah, he's dead. Luke said he was sorry."_

_ She sighed, and laid her head back on my lap, closing her eyes. "good. I knew you could do it. I love you, seaweed brain." _

_" I love you too, wise girl." She smiled, eyes still closed. She shuddered, then went limp in my arms. My brain shorted out. "Oh no," I whispered, " oh gods, please, NO!"_

_"Annabeth!" I cried, sobbing. My strong, smart, beautiful Annabeth, my wise girl. Dead. Just like that. out of nowhere, the gods burst in, too late. way too late. They were shouting, expecting a fight. Instead, they were greeted by two dead bodies, and one very distraught son of poseiden. Athena stared._

_"We need two shrouds," Percy stated without looking at them. his voice cracked. " One for the son of Hermes…" he swallowed. " and one for the daughter of Athena."_

20 YEARS LATER…

I trudged up the cemetery path, just like I had done every day for the last twenty years. I approached the head stone. Embedded at the top was annabeth's bronze knife. The stone was hollow, and inside was her invisibility cap. She would have loved it. Would have gone on for hours about the architechtual build of it. I placed a single red rose on the dirt in front of it.

I remembered the day she died so clearly. How she took the bullet for me, how she pushed me out of the way...Nico had told me she was okay, that she was in Elysium**. **If she wasn't, I would personally have gone down into the underworld and killed hades myself, immortal or no. I sighed and looked at the headstone. It read:

**Annabeth Chase **

**Died may 5th, 2009 **

**Beloved by all, **

**Her wise ways shall be forever missed **

I trudged up back up the cemetery trail,

just as I had done every day for the last twenty years.

just as I would do for the rest of my days.

_**THE END.**_

**there, fixed it. much better. still not great, but that's just how I write, I guess...**

**my brother has been yelling at me to get of the computer for the last hour or so, so im logging off. bye!**

**review!**


End file.
